NAS and associated software

Minimserver is designed to work with QNAP and their help and support facilities are excellent. It's also really easy to install and run.  I found Asset difficult to set up and I gave up. It may turn out easy for you. It's difficult to say.

There are many options.

I'm pretty sure that Asset will not currently run on the 215j, nor on any Synology nas.  There are Asset downloads for a variety of QNAP nas's.  On the other hand, MinimServer runs on Synology and many are quite pleased with it.  The 215j will be plenty to run MinimServer and transcode flac to wav 'on the fly.'

I own the 213j and am perfectly happy with it.  It's native Media Server app works quite well too.  But Minim has some nice features, such as building a log of tagging errors that you can reference to go back and fix things.

The Synology MediaServer app is simple, very easy to set up and reliable.

It has two disadvantages: 1 it's simple (it only allows a limited set of choices for how you browse for your music)  2  if you transcode 24bit files to wav the resultant stream is truncated to 16bit data.

If these limitations aren't a problem, it's highly recommended as it just works.

Minim is more convoluted to set up, but much more capable.  When correctly set up, it works well.

Twonky (on QNAP and other NASes) has proven 'difficult': it has shown odd behaviours for some people, some people have resolved their difficulties with it, some others haven't.  For QNAP, Minim or Asset are probably your best bet, but both need a bit of work to set them up properly.  Having said that when set up properly they both work well.

Minimserver on Synology works faultlessly witn Naim streamers apart from playlists. 

Your're a bit behind the times Huge

Its simple, yes, for example it doesn't show album cover art when in the various browsing sections,  and  reading these pages it is why some users prefer the other media servers; I prefer the simple folder icon, clean smart & loads faster.

Its got 2x fixed browsing header options & 3x custom options,  I use the Synology fixed "Advanced" style with 14 browser headers - Folder, Album, Artist, Genre, Playlists, Year, All Music (tracks)  & various combinations of all (e.g.Genre-Artist-Album)

DSM-5 onward does give full transcoding @t 24bit & it does this also with full gapless functionality.  

But I agree your final point,  it just works

Interesting I'm using 5.1.5022 and the transcoding on mine is still 24 -> 16 bit.

In Media Server, DMA Compatibility, have you unchecked the box "Downsample audio files during transcoding.........."

Mike, yes.

I dunno then,  it works for me

Just checked again - still 16 bit for me.

Greensleeves, if you are using a PC, dbpoweramp is a good tool for encoding. Make sure you play with the settings to ensure you are happy before doing all your encoding.  If you set the Flac to uncompressed you will end up with a 800MB file ( if the CD is full ).

So each of the 2 TB will hold 2,500 full CDs.  Depending on how you set up the NAS, you could lose more space from the hard drive for error checking et al.  So depending on how many CD's you have and if you plan to buy Hi Res tracks going forward, think about your space requirements i.e getting two 3TB might be better now.  Also as an idea, a level 5 compressed LSO album Flac 16 bit I have takes up 341MB, but the 24 bit version takes up 1.5GB. So a 4x space increase.

Also if you are using this NAS for just keeping your music, think about getting an external hard drive to do back ups to in case your primary hard drives fail. 

Huge,  all my stuff is .wav but the .flac I used for testing was uncompressed - and maybe that's why I didn't get downsampled to 16bit ????  Maybe the Synology DMA process can handle transcoding provided it does not have to de-compress ( only a guess & not an educated guess either )

Sorry to say I don't have any .flac on file now, and I don't see the point in converting an existing .wav as that is adding another permutation,  but I will - on my next download - pull in a .flac & check again.

How do you tell if it's playing in 16 or 24 bits?  When using the Synology Media Server to play a 24-192 flac file and transcode to wav, I see "WAV 192kHz  6144kb/s."  I have no idea what the bit depth is however.  Is it a math problem?

 in the math Bart

=sample rate X bit depth X channels

A 192/24 2 channel  is 9216kb/s,  but when downsampled to 16bit its 6144kb/s 

There are quite a few threads on this, and it's not a bad idea to read them.

My sense is that many people are settling on either Synology or Qnap as being reliable and relatively easy at that price point (also Netgear, but maybe not as often). They're direct competitors and offer similar products. Their differences are really down to your preference, but if you get either you should be satisfied.

As Naim seems very positive about Asset you might go for that, which requires a Qnap (of those two), not sure which model. There's also lots of love for Minim on either of them - it's fiddly to set up and the Minimwatch interface is ghastly (but not often needed), and it works faultlessly without fuss.

Lots of people on the forum get very enthusiastic about other options (Raspberry Pi anyone? Mac Mini? Cray Titan?) but Synology and Qnap seem to me to be perfect for a Unitiqute.

One other thing: get a separate switch for the NAS and Qute. A £20 Netgear is fine - a major improvement in reliability and stability.

Super -- and I think I have a setting wrong as I don't see 9216 with Media Server but do with my uServe.

Oh, a Cray XC at least .

I'd recommend buying the best nas/server you can afford and ideally one thst allows you to use a range of server software options and that allows you to increase storage if you need to. You want a solution that will grow with you and your system needs and that won't tie you into a single piece of software.  I use an Assetnas running Asset for music and a separate server for video but i tried a number of different pieces of software before I settled on Asset and I have a second nas that was awful as a server thst now provides backups only. 

I have a DS213 Synology, and I like it for 4 reasons:

1) The built in UPnP server works well straight out of the box. It doesn't have all the functionality of minim or Asset, but if you start fiddling around with other servers it's nice to know you will still have music and to be able to troubleshoot by comparing results with this reliable server.

2) I think the NAS user interface is good. It's regularly cited as the best amongst NAS suppliers, and i find it quite easy to use. Synology definitely focus on user experience. Being able to understand all aspects of your NAS is important for a happy music streaming existence.

3) Synology's mobile apps are good. I can easily access my files, photos, and most importantly my music from anywhere in the world. You might not think this is a big priority for you, but it's great being on holiday or at friends' and being able to play music from your own collection. 

4) The Synology DS Audio mobile app is also a control point; meaning you can browse your music collection on the NAS and 'send it' to any other UPnP player on the same network (e.g. another phone plugged into a kitchen radio with a wire. Anyone remember wires, they're really stable? :-) )  

I will also put in a +1 for minimserver. its 'intelligent browsing' behaviour really does make drilling down into your music collection a much more serendipitous experience, and the flexibility in how you can choose to serve your music library up is wonderful.

Sorry for hijacking the OP's thread, but I am still confused between the media server software on the NAS and the app used for selecting/browsing/playing music.

Eg. I have a Synology DS215j and I have not downloaded any additional server software to it. I also have a Sonos Connect, have configured Sonos to point to the music folder on the Synology NAS, and use the Sonos app on my smart phone or iPad for selecting music to play. I can see the album artwork.

Am I using the media server on the Synology or using the Sonos app for browsing/playing music ? Or am I using both and am hopelessly confused about the different roles that each play ?

I have tried to read up about this but I am still confused about it ....

(Aplogies for being thick and hijacking this thread ...).

OK I've done some further reading and it is a bit clearer now (I think !). It seems that it is the Sonos software that is receiving the album art (and music) from the Synology media server on the NAS.

I was just a bit confused by Mike-B's comment on the Synology Media Server that "it doesn't show album cover art when in the various browsing sections", as it seems to me that it clearly is making the album art available to Sonos in my set-up. Or maybe I just misunderstood his comment (and he is referring to when browsing the NAS directly rather than when eg. Sonos is accessing the music).

Will99, using the Naim app to browse my Synology DS214 with Media Server DSM 5.1 5022, there is no album cover art at the higher levels, only folder icon's. Once browsing has drilled down to individual album level - i.e. you are ready to select an album - then the album cover art is available. 

I apologise for being late in getting back on this - house refurbishment has rather got in the way!  I am very grayeful for the advice and help from members, there is a wealth of knowledge here.  On balance, having weighed all the comments, my preferred way forward is a Synology 215j initially using native media server but also trying Minim and perhaps migrating to that in due course when I have it sussed.

One final point: the use of a switch is mentioned, but I am not sure I understand the rationale, or even what one of these is - is it a sort of hub, and why would I find one of benefit?  Again, I should be glad of advice, please.

 Yes its a "sort of hub"

It forms the centre point (or hub) of your network

Switch to UnitiQute

Switch to Synology

Switch to ISP wireless "hub/router" 

Unlike most ISP wireless "hubs",  a switch manages data exchange much better. 

https://askleo.com/whats_the_d...switch_and_a_router/

You only need one of the simple unmanaged types from the popular consumer & www stores - they cost around £18 to £25 (GBP)

I use a Netgear GS105,  other makes such as Cisco & TP-LINK (plus others)

There is a choice of nicer looking desktop models or like my GS - basic but good  - metal boxes...

You don't need a switch but it may help if you have problems. It can depend on how busy or complex your network is.

Where is your router?

Where is your NAS?

Where is your Unitiqute?

If you are going to put your NAS and Unitiqute near each other and at a distance from your router then a switch will make your network simpler. If you are going to put your NAS next near your router then you don't need to start with a switch.

There is lots of information on the forum.